Method and system for expediting payment delivery

ABSTRACT

A method and system of the present invention are directed to expediting payments for scheduled delivery (e.g., next day delivery) to various payees or recipients. A computer implemented method and system for expediting payments may include receiving recipient data and payment data from a customer at a remote location; wherein recipient data comprises recipient identifier and payment data comprises payment type; obtaining a payment instrument based at least in part on the payment data; debiting an amount of the payment instrument from an account identified by the customer; and delivering the payment instrument to a facility; wherein the facility delivers the payment instrument to a recipient identified by the recipient data entered by the customer.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to expediting payments, and morespecifically to expediting payments for scheduled delivery (e.g., nextday delivery) to various payees or other recipients.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

For many consumers, including corporations and small businesses, theremay be instances where an immediate payment is necessary to avoid latefees, service charges, termination of a service or contractual issues.Repeated late payments may also result in a negative credit report andother adverse consequences. An Internet connection enables consumers toeasily schedule payments to various payees through a personal account.However, some payees may request or even require a guaranteed payment,rather than a personal check or online payment. Currently, if consumerswant to send a guaranteed payment instrument, the consumer is requiredto go to a bank (or other institution) and obtain a certified check,cashier's check or other similar instrument. However, as mostestablishments close at a reasonable closing time, around 5 pm, thetransaction must occur during normal business hours. The consumer wouldthen be required to delivery the guaranteed payment to a mail facilityfor overnight delivery, prior to closing time, which is generally around6-8 pm. As a result, depending on the consumer's availability andoverall convenience, it may take a consumer a few days to delivery aguaranteed payment.

To effectively delivery physical payment instruments to a payee,consumers are still required to coordinate with a mail facility or otherdistribution center. While some services may provide a guaranteedpayment instrument, a recipient is generally required to pick up thepayment instrument at a pick-up center.

Other drawbacks may also be present.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, one aspect of the invention is to address one or more ofthe drawbacks set forth above.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, acomputer implemented method for expediting payments comprises the stepsof receiving recipient data and payment data from a customer at a remotelocation; wherein recipient data comprises recipient identifier andpayment data comprises payment type; obtaining a payment instrumentbased at least in part on the payment data; debiting an amount of thepayment instrument from an account identified by the customer; anddelivering the payment instrument to a facility; wherein the facilitydelivers the payment instrument to a recipient identified by therecipient data entered by the customer.

In accordance with further aspects of this exemplary embodiment, thepayment type comprises one or more of cashier's check, certified checkand money order; the payment type comprises one or more of a token,stored value card, cash, gift certificate, and bearer bond; therecipient data and payment data are entered by the customer on a firstday and the payment instrument is delivered to the recipient at leastone day after the first day; the method further comprising the step ofassociating one or more documents from the customer with the paymentinstrument for delivery to the recipient; the method further comprisingthe step of providing a tracking identifier to the customer for trackingthe delivering of the payment instrument to the recipient; the methodfurther comprising the step of providing status data of the paymentinstrument to one or more of the facility and the recipient; the methodwherein the steps are performed at a financial institution location; thepayment instrument is generated at the financial institution location;the method further comprising the step of authenticating the customer toconfirm identity of the customer; the payment instrument comprises astored value card wherein the recipient provides authentication databefore the stored value card is activated; the authentication data isprovided to a service provider associated with the stored value card;and the stored value card is activated for a designated value afterauthentication data from the recipient is verified.

In accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention, a computer implemented system for expediting payments, thecomputer implemented system comprising an information module forreceiving recipient data and payment data from a customer at a remotelocation; wherein recipient data comprises recipient identifier andpayment data comprises payment type; payment module for obtaining apayment instrument based at least in part on the payment data anddebiting an amount of the payment instrument from an account identifiedby the customer; and delivery module for delivering the paymentinstrument to a facility; wherein the facility delivers the paymentinstrument to a recipient identified by the recipient data entered bythe customer.

In accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention, at least one signal embodied in at least one carrier wave fortransmitting a computer program of instructions configured to bereadable by at least one processor for expediting payments, the computerprocess comprises receiving means for receiving recipient data andpayment data from a customer at a remote location; wherein recipientdata comprises recipient identifier and payment data comprises paymenttype; obtaining means for obtaining a payment instrument based at leastin part on the payment data; debiting means for debiting an amount ofthe payment instrument from an account identified by the customer; anddelivering means for delivering the payment instrument to a facility;wherein the facility delivers the payment instrument to a recipientidentified by the recipient data entered by the customer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary system for expediting payments,according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary processor for expediting payments,according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating a method for expeditingpayments, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary customer interface, according to an embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 5 is an exemplary customer interface, according to an embodiment ofthe present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the present invention is directed to next day paymentservices that may be scheduled remotely by a sender (e.g., payor) anddoes not require pick-up for the recipient/payee. Rather, the payment issent directly to the payee (or other designated recipient).

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary system for expediting payments,according to an embodiment of the present invention. A user, such ascustomer 110 and customer 112, may schedule a next day delivery of aguaranteed payment remotely through a communication channel 120.Communication channel may include an Internet channel, a Voice ResponseUnit (VRU) channel over a telephone, or other communication medium. Forexample, the customer may schedule payments via a computer, laptop, cellphone, PDA, or other remote device.

An embodiment of the present invention enables the customer 110 tocommunicate with a Financial Institution 130 to schedule a payment. Forexample, customer 110 may schedule the payment for next day delivery.The payment may be scheduled as late as 10 pm, even as late as midnight.While most conventional delivery service pick-up windows (e.g., UPS™,FedEx™, etc.) close at 6-8 pm, an embodiment of the present inventionprovides a means for next day payment that is currently unavailable.

Over communication channel 120, customer 110 may provide financialinstitution 130 information for scheduling a payment for next daydelivery. For example, customer 110 may convey the customer's accountinformation (e.g., checking account number, savings account, etc.),security information (e.g., user ID, password (or PIN), etc.)information for the payee/recipient (e.g., address, account number,etc.), and payment information (e.g., type of payment, delivery date,etc.). Other information may also be submitted.

Financial institution 130 then takes the information and generates aphysical payment instrument. For example, the physical paymentinstrument may be a check generated by a check printer or other device.The physical payment instrument may include a guaranteed paymentinstrument, such as a cashier's check, certified check, money order,check drawn on a bank's account, as compared to an institution orindividual, etc. Financial Institution 130 may place the paymentinstrument into an envelope (e.g., express mail envelope) for delivery.The placement into an envelope may be manual or automated (e.g., anenvelope stuffing machine or payment instrument printed so that it maybe folded into an envelope, etc.). According to another example, thepayment instrument may be obtained from a merchant, a provider or otherentity. In the case of a stored value card, the financial institutionmay receive the stored value card from a provider.

Financial institution 130 may then provide the envelopes to aMail/Delivery Facility (e.g., an express mail agency (EMA), etc.) 140.For example, financial institution 130 may send the envelopes toMail/Delivery Facility 140 or Mail/Delivery Facility 140 may pick up theenvelopes from financial institution 130. Other arrangements may beagreed upon. Mail/Delivery Facility 140 may then delivery the envelopeswith the payment instrument to a designated payee 150 by the next day(e.g. by 10 am) or other scheduled time period. Payee 150, 152 mayrepresent other recipients as well. According to an exemplaryapplication, financial institution 130 and Mail/Delivery Facility 140may be located in close physical proximity. In addition, an arrangementbetween financial institution 130 and Mail/Delivery Facility 140 mayagree that mail may be accepted at Mail/Delivery Facility 140 afternormal business hours. Other arrangements may be agreed upon.

Through an embodiment of the present invention, consumers 110, 112 mayschedule next day payments remotely, schedule payment delivery pastnormal EMA deadlines, and deliver a physical instrument directly to therecipient/payee (with no pickup required) where the instrument may be aguaranteed instrument (or other payment instrument).

Through an embodiment of the present invention, the burden is releasedfrom the customer because the financial institution handles thetransaction. For example, financial institution 130 may generate orobtain the payment instrument, load the payment instrument into anenvelope and provide the envelope to a mail/delivery service.

An embodiment of the present invention may also be applied for walk-incustomers to the financial institution or other facility. The paymentinstrument may be other than a cashier's/certified check. For example,the payment instrument may include a stored value card, cash (in variouscurrencies) or other commodity. The payment instrument may include anytoken of a designated monetary value, which may be fixed or variable.Other examples may include gift certificates, bearer bonds and othersimilar types of payments. The customer may receive a tracking numbersupplied by an EMA agent, which may be provided directly by thefinancial institution (via email or web page) or may be provided by theEMA.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary processor for expediting payments,according to an embodiment of the present invention. FinancialInstitution 130 may include a processor 130 for expediting payments(e.g., bill payments, etc.). Processor 130 may be part of FinancialInstitution 130, separate from Financial Institution 130, associatedwith Financial Institution or based on other arrangement. Processor 130may include various modules for performing payment functions. Forexample, Central Processor 130 may include Customer Information Module210, Payee/Recipient Information Module 212, Generate Payment Module214, Coordinate Delivery Module 216, Send Payment Module 218, CustomerInterface 220, EMA Interface 222, Payee/Recipient Interface 224 and/orother modules, as represented by 226. The modules of Processor 130 maybe further combined, duplicated and/or separated. The modules ofProcessor 130 may also be provided across multiple processors. Otherimplementations may be realized.

The various modules of Processor 130 may access and/or store data atDatabases 230, 232. Various types of data may be stored at and/oraccessed from databases 230, 232. Additional databases may beimplemented. Further, the databases may be consolidated into a singledatabase as well. Database may include various types of databases,including relational databases. Database 230, 232 may store customerdata, payee/recipient data, payment data, etc. Other data may be storedand/or accessed. Other sources of information (e.g., external and/orinternal sources of data) may also be accessed by the various modules ofProcessor 202.

Customers 110, 112 may access Processor 202, via a communication channel120, such as Internet or other network.

Customer Information Module 210 may receive data from one or morecustomers, as represented by 110, 112. For example, customer informationdata may include security information, customer account information,authentication data and/or other data. Security information may includea user name (or identifier), password (or PIN) and/or other securitydata. Customer account information may include account identifier,account number and/or other account data. For example, authenticationmay involve verifying customer identity as well as whether the customeris authorized to schedule a payment, access the system of an embodimentof the present invention and/or perform other actions.

Payee/Recipient Information Module 212 may receive data from one or morecustomers, as represented by 110, 112. For example, payee/recipientinformation data may include payee/recipient identifier, paymentinformation and/or other data. Payee/Recipient identifier may includename, company, address, phone number, account number, description,payee/recipient contact information and/or other data. Paymentinformation may include amount, type of payment, delivery method,delivery time, check memo and/or other payment data.

Generate Payment Module 214 may generate or obtain one or more paymentinstruments based at least in part on the payee/recipient informationreceived by Payee/Recipient Information Module 212. Payment instrumentsmay include check, certified check, cashier's check, money order,electronic payment, etc. Various other paper or electronic paymentinstruments may be generated. In another example, cash (in variouscurrencies) may be delivered to an identified payee/recipient. A tokenof a monetary value may also be generated or the token may be obtainedfrom another entity. Tokens may include stored value cards, giftcertificates, etc. For example, a stored value card may be received froma merchant or other source.

For example, a stored value card (or other similar instrument) may bedelivered to an intended recipient. Upon receipt, the intended recipientmay contact an entity (e.g., financial institution, merchant, serviceprovider, etc.) for authentication. When authentication is verified, thestored value card may be automatically loaded with an appropriate amountor value. Therefore, unintended recipients will not be able to use thestored value card. The authentication process may involve contacting anentity and providing identification information. For example, anintended recipient may call (or otherwise contact) a service providerand provide a password (or PIN) that was delivered in a different manner(e.g., via email delivery, separate phone contact, mail delivery, etc.).In another example, other authentication information may be provided,including social security number, mother's maiden name, etc. Theintended recipient may contact a service provider to activate the storedvalue card via phone call, email contact, website, and/or other form ofcommunication. For example, the intended recipient may accessPayee/Recipient Interface 224 for authentication.

Coordinate Delivery Module 216 may identify specifics directed todelivering the payment instrument. Module 216 may identify a paymentroute, delivery time, delivery method, and/or special deliveryinstructions. For example, a customer may request a certified check tobe sent to a specific payee/recipient by 10 am the next morning where asignature by an authorized recipient is required.

Send Payment Module 218 may send the payment instrument to a mailfacility (or other facility, such as a delivery facility, etc.), such asan Express Mail Facility. The payment instrument may be forwarded to themail facility, picked up by the mail facility or via other deliveryarrangement.

Customer Interface 220 provides an interface for customers to accessProcessor 202. For example, a customer may check the status on pendingor other types of scheduled deliveries. In addition, the customer mayreceive a tracking number (or other identifier) for tracking a paymentin progress. The customer may be alerted when a delivery is received bya payee/recipient, through a preferred mode of communication (e.g.,email alert, cell phone message, text message, etc.). EMA Interface 222provides an interface for the Express Mail Facility (or other mailfacility or delivery facility) to access Processor 202. For example, anEMA may be alerted as to how many delivers to expect from financialinstitution 130 and when to expect each delivery. Payee/RecipientInterface 224 provides an interface for various payees or recipients toaccess Processor 202. For example, a payee may also check on the statusof a payment. The payee (or recipient) may be alerted when a payment isto be expected and how many to expect. Other specifics may also beconveyed.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating a method for expeditingpayments, according to an embodiment of the present invention. At step310, a customer may schedule a payment. At step 312, payee/recipientdata may be entered. At step 314, payment data may be entered. At step316, a financial institution may generate a payment instrument. At step318, payment amount (which may or may not include fees or other charges)may be debited from a payor account. At step 320, the financialinstitution may delivery the payment instrument to a mail/deliveryfacility (e.g., EMA or other facility). At step 322, the express mailfacility may delivery the payment instrument to an identifiedpayee/recipient. While the process illustrated in FIG. 3 disclosescertain steps performed in a particular order, it should be understoodthat the present invention may be practiced by adding one or more stepsto the process, omitting steps within the process and/or altering theorder in which one or more steps are performed.

At step 310, a customer may schedule a payment. For example, a customermay represent an individual, company or other entity desiring to make abill payment or other type of payment. The customer may access acustomer interface through a communication channel, such as Internet,VRU or other electronic, wireless or other type of communication medium.Payments may also be scheduled through a wireless device, such as a PDA,cell phone, etc. The customer may identify a payee (or recipient), typeof payment, delivery of payment and/or other data related to schedulinga next day payment or other scheduled payment. The customer may schedulea payment until midnight local time. Deliveries may include Saturday,Sunday and holiday deliveries as well as international deliveries.

At step 312, payee/recipient data may be entered. The customer mayidentify the payee (or recipient) of the payment. The payee/recipientmay include an individual, company, merchant, service provider,government entity, non-profit entity and/or other recipient of apayment. Payee/recipient data may include payee identifier (e.g., name,company name, etc.), payment location (e.g., street address, P.O. box,Internet address, etc.) and/or other payee/recipient data. The customermay also include an account identifier associated with thepayee/recipient. For example, a company may identify the customerthrough a unique account identifier, which may be included aspayee/recipient data. According to another example, a customer mayupload attachments for inclusion with the payment instrument. Forexample, a customer may upload a remittance advice for delivery with acertified check. Other attachments may include documents, letters, etc.

At step 314, payment data may be entered. The customer may identify apreferred payment instrument. Examples of payment instruments mayinclude check, cashier's check, certified check, money order, electronicpayment, etc. Payment data may include amount, date, date of delivery,account identifier, memo and/or other data related to the paymentinstrument. Other payment specifics may include requiring a signaturefrom the payee/recipient (or other authorization mechanism), time ofdelivery, receipt by an identified person or agent, descriptions,instructions (for the customer, the payee/recipient or other) and/orother payment specifics.

At step 316, a financial institution may generate or obtain a paymentinstrument. A check generating device may be located at the financialinstitution for generating the payment instrument. In another example,software may be loaded at the financial institution for generating thepayment instrument. In yet another example, a payment generating devicemay be separate from the financial institution. In addition, the paymentgenerating device may be located at a separate location, such as theEMA, payee/recipient location and/or other location. According toanother example, payment instruments may be received from an entity,such as a merchant, service provider, etc.

At step 318, the payment amount (which may or may not include a servicefee) may be debited from the customer's identified account.

At step 320, the financial institution may delivery the paymentinstrument to a mail/delivery facility. After the payment instrument isgenerated or obtained, the financial institution may place the paymentinstrument in an envelope (or other delivery container) for delivery toa mail facility (or other facility, such as a delivery facility, etc.).The placing of the payment instrument in an envelope may be manual,automatic, semi-automatic, etc. The envelope may be an express deliveryenvelope, for example. The envelopes may include a flag (or identifier)for delivery to the mail facility.

The financial institution and the mail facility (or other facility, suchas a delivery facility, etc.) may have an agreement for acceptingdeliveries from the financial institution. For example, the financialinstitution may delivery the payment instruments to the mail facility.In another example, the mail facility may conduct scheduled pickups ofthe payment instrument. The financial institution and the mail facilitymay be located within close proximity to facilitate delivery and/orpickup. The mail facility may include a mail service (e.g., UPS, FedEx™,etc.), distribution center and/or other facility for receiving and/ordelivering mail.

According to another exemplary application, the delivery of the paymentinstrument may be electronic through an electronic communication medium.

At step 322, the express mail facility may delivery the paymentinstrument to an identified payee/recipient. The delivery may occurwithin 24 hours or less of the scheduling of the express payment. Inanother example, the delivery may occur by the morning of the next day(e.g., 10 am). In addition, the delivery may be scheduled for deliveryat a later time, one or more days later. Depending on payment dataspecifics, a signature or other authentication may be required upondelivery of the payment instrument. Other specifics and/or restrictionsmay be imposed.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary customer interface, according to an embodiment ofthe present invention. FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary screen shotavailable to a customer for scheduling a payment in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention. Recipient Information 410 mayinclude payee/recipient data. In this exemplary application, recipientinformation 410 may include name 412 (e.g., name of payee/recipient orother payee/recipient identifier), attention of 414 (e.g., receivingindividual, etc.), address 416, phone number 418, account number ordescription 420 and check memo 422. Other payee/recipient data and/orother information may also be entered or displayed.

Payment Information 430 may include payment data. In this exemplaryapplication, payment information 430 may include payable to 432, payfrom 434, amount 436, send on date 438, delivery by date 440, paymentmethod 442 (e.g., overnight delivery, etc.) and total charges/fees 444.Charges and/or fees may or may not be applied to the delivery service.Other payment data and/or other information may also be entered ordisplayed.

The customer may modify data by selecting 450, send the payment byselecting 452 or cancel the action by selecting 454. Other actionsand/or options may be available.

FIG. 5 is an exemplary customer interface, according to an embodiment ofthe present invention. FIG. 5 may include a summary page of paymentactivity. A customer may check the status on payments and confirmdelivery and/or other actions. Payment activity summary page 502 mayinclude Payable To 510, Pay From 512, Amount 514, Send On 516, DeliverBy 518, Status 520, Available Action 522 and/or other data. Payable To510 may include payee/recipient identification, including company orservice name. Pay From 512 may include an account from which the paymentinstruments are drawn for each payment. Multiple accounts may be usedfor a single payment. Amount 514 may include a payment amount. Send On516 may include date (which may include time) of delivery and Deliver By518 may include date (which may include time) of delivery. Status 520may include data associated with the status of a scheduled payment.Status 520 may include in-process, pending, shipped, cancelled,returned, etc. Available Action 522 may include view, modify, and/orother actions.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the systems and processesdescribed above invention may be implemented on any general or specialpurpose computational device, either as a standalone application orapplications, or even across several general or special purposecomputational devices connected over a network and as a group operatingin a client-server mode. According to another embodiment of theinvention, a computer-usable and writeable medium having a plurality ofcomputer readable program code stored therein may be provided forpracticing the process of the present invention. The process and systemof the embodiments of the present inventions may be implemented within avariety of operating systems, such as a Windows® operating system,various versions of a Unix-based operating system (e.g., a HewlettPackard, a Red Hat, or a Linux version of a Unix-based operatingsystem), or various versions of an AS/400-based operating system. Forexample, the computer-usable and writeable medium may be comprised of aCD ROM, a floppy disk, a hard disk, or any other computer-usable medium.One or more of the components of the system or systems embodying theembodiments of the present inventions may comprise computer readableprogram code in the form of functional instructions stored in thecomputer-usable medium such that when the computer-usable medium isinstalled on the system or systems, those components cause the system toperform the functions described. The computer readable program code forthe embodiments of the present inventions may also be bundled with othercomputer readable program software. Also, only some of the componentsmay be provided in computer-readable code.

Additionally, various entities and combinations of entities may employ acomputer to implement the components performing the above-describedfunctions. According to an embodiment of the invention, the computer maybe a standard computer comprising an input device, an output device, aprocessor device, and a data storage device. According to otherembodiments of the invention, various components may be computers indifferent departments within the same corporation or entity. Othercomputer configurations may also be used. According to anotherembodiment of the invention, various components may be separate entitiessuch as corporations or limited liability companies. Other embodiments,in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, may also be used.

According to one specific embodiment of the present invention, thesystem may comprise components of a software system. The system mayoperate on a network and may be connected to other systems sharing acommon database. Other hardware arrangements may also be provided.

Other embodiments, uses and advantages of the present invention will beapparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of thespecification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. Thespecification and examples should be considered exemplary only. Theintended scope of the invention is only limited by the claims appendedhereto.

1. A computer implemented method for expediting payments, the computerimplemented method comprising the steps of: receiving recipient data andpayment data from a customer at a remote location; wherein recipientdata comprises recipient identifier and payment data comprises paymenttype; obtaining a payment instrument based at least in part on thepayment data; debiting an amount of the payment instrument from anaccount identified by the customer; and delivering the paymentinstrument to a facility; wherein the facility delivers the paymentinstrument to a recipient identified by the recipient data entered bythe customer.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the payment typecomprises one or more of cashier's check, certified check and moneyorder.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the payment type comprises oneor more of a token, stored value card, cash, gift certificate, andbearer bond.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the recipient data andpayment data are entered by the customer on a first day and the paymentinstrument is delivered to the recipient at least one day after thefirst day.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:associating one or more documents from the customer with the paymentinstrument for delivery to the recipient.
 6. The method of claim 1,further comprising the step of: providing a tracking identifier to thecustomer for tracking the delivering of the payment instrument to therecipient.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:providing status data of the payment instrument to one or more of thefacility and the recipient.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the stepsof claim 1 are performed at a financial institution location.
 9. Themethod of claim 8, wherein the payment instrument is generated at thefinancial institution location.
 10. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising the step of: authenticating the customer to confirm identityof the customer.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the paymentinstrument comprises a stored value card wherein the recipient providesauthentication data before the stored value card is activated.
 12. Themethod of claim 11, wherein the authentication data is provided to aservice provider associated with the stored value card.
 13. The methodof claim 11, wherein the stored value card is activated for a designatedvalue after authentication data from the recipient is verified.
 14. Acomputer implemented system for expediting payments, the computerimplemented system comprising: information module for receivingrecipient data and payment data from a customer at a remote location;wherein recipient data comprises recipient identifier and payment datacomprises payment type; payment module for obtaining a paymentinstrument based at least in part on the payment data and debiting anamount of the payment instrument from an account identified by thecustomer; and delivery module for delivering the payment instrument to afacility; wherein the facility delivers the payment instrument to arecipient identified by the recipient data entered by the customer. 15.The system of claim 14, wherein the payment type comprises one or moreof cashier's check, certified check and money order.
 16. The system ofclaim 14, wherein the payment type comprises one or more of a token,stored value card, cash, gift certificate, and bearer bond.
 17. Thesystem of claim 14, wherein the recipient data and payment data areentered by the customer on a first day and the payment instrument isdelivered to the recipient at least one day after the first day.
 18. Thesystem of claim 14, further comprising the step of: associating one ormore documents from the customer with the payment instrument fordelivery to the recipient.
 19. The system of claim 14, furthercomprising the step of: providing a tracking identifier to the customerfor tracking the delivering of the payment instrument to the recipient.20. The system of claim 14, further comprising the step of: providingstatus data of the payment instrument to one or more of the facility andthe recipient.
 21. The system of claim 14, wherein the steps of claim 1are performed at a financial institution location.
 22. The system ofclaim 21, wherein the payment instrument is generated at the financialinstitution location.
 23. The system of claim 14, further comprising thestep of: authenticating the customer to confirm identity of thecustomer.
 24. The system of claim 14, wherein the payment instrumentcomprises a stored value card wherein the recipient providesauthentication data before the stored value card is activated.
 25. Thesystem of claim 24, wherein the authentication data is provided to aservice provider associated with the stored value card.
 26. The systemof claim 24, wherein the stored value card is activated for a designatedvalue after authentication data from the recipient is verified.
 27. Atleast one processor readable carrier for storing a computer program ofinstructions configured to be readable by at least one processor forinstructing the at least one processor to execute a computer process forperforming the method as recited in claim
 1. 28. At least one signalembodied in at least one carrier wave for transmitting a computerprogram of instructions configured to be readable by at least oneprocessor for expediting payments, the computer process comprising:receiving means for receiving recipient data and payment data from acustomer at a remote location; wherein recipient data comprisesrecipient identifier and payment data comprises payment type; obtainingmeans for obtaining a payment instrument based at least in part on thepayment data; debiting means for debiting an amount of the paymentinstrument from an account identified by the customer; and deliveringmeans for delivering the payment instrument to a facility; wherein thefacility delivers the payment instrument to a recipient identified bythe recipient data entered by the customer.